The Year in Review: Everybody’s Trying to be the Next Alabama

I do think there’s a new trend toward rocking bands, but I think it follows what’s going on with Nashville and country radio in general, which tends to rock more and twang less these days. I don’t think it has much to do with Alabama, although I think Matt describes why they were so successful. There was much better country rock in that era, though, some of it from Nashville–Hank Jr. and CDB, for instead, at least before Charlie went vigilante on us. I think a lot of these bands have as much to do with that sound as with Alabama, who didn’t really rock much at all.

Few of the new bands have actually received much airplay, but unlike Matt, I like some of them, and I think radio is making a mistake. I particularly like Cole Deggs & the Lonesome, who Matt doesn’t mention, and Flynnville Train. Lady Antebellum shows promise too, and of the harmony groups he mentions, Whiskey Falls had moments I thought were good and less formulaic and cloying than some of the others.

I think some other of Matt’s generalizations are hugely flawed, though. He says he doesn’t think any of the bands are any good, although contradicts that with his Lady Antebellum comments. I disagree, and I think in some ways the trend away from Lonestar and Diamond Rio–who were direct Alabama acolytes–is a good one.

Also, I don’t think all those bands sound alike, as Matt says they do. I don’t hear much similarity between Lady Antebellum and Halfway to Hazard, for instance. If you cant distinguish between them, or between Whiskey Falls and Flynnville Train, then you’re not listening very closely.

I’ve always thought Music Row’s idea of a country band was weak and tended too much toward soft sentiments and harmonies instead of a bunch of guys having fun and rocking out. My tastes in country bands go to the Kentucky HeadHunters and Mavericks, though, so take that for what you will.

But mostly I find it hard to believe anyone would describe something as appealing to “the sissy portion of the fan base.” Good god. Do you mean, um, women? Or some women and some guys who you think aren’t as manly as you? What’s next, you going to accuse Taylor Swift of having cooties? That kind of pejorative name-calling lowers you and everything you have to say.

M.C.: I think that the sound of some of these bands is nearly indistinguishable. I don’t deny that, after listening to every track of their debut albums, some can be distinguished from the others. But for the casual radio listener? Not a chance. That’s what matters for these artists’ future success.

You don’t like one word I used in describing Heartland, but what about the argument behind the vocabulary? “I Loved Her First” wasn’t exactly written for the gun-toting redneck portion of the fan base. I would also describe much of Lonestar’s (especially recent) and Rascal Flatts’ music as appealing to the same “sissys.”

There was an attempt to spawn addtional Alabamas during the 1980s - Atlanta - Exile - Restless Heart but none of them had such sustained success, although Exile and Restless Heart did have runs of hits.

I think that the group that emerging groups should use as a model wwas Shenandoah, my favorite of all the groups because in Marty Raybon they had the best lead vocalist. Shenandoah could work straight country, country pop and country rock convincingly. Personally, I prefer solo acts because solo artists (generally) can imbue the songs wih more personality

The biggest problem with this is we’re comparing duos (Halfway to Hazard) with vocal groups (Lady Antebellum, Whiskey Falls) with full bands (Heartland). These groups may sound similar in many instances, but it’s more a byproduct of Nashville’s sound in general merging together. I’m a little bit surprised, though, in the putting-down of Diamond Rio I’ve seen from a couple people, as I think their sound is very unique and they had many extremely good songs (basically they were a combination of a vocal group with a full band).

In general I give more credit to a group that does almost all of its own instrumentation (of the “newer” bands, Emerson Drive most closely fits this bill) as opposed to two or three people who hold microphones (Rascal Flatts, I’m looking in your direction).